1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to non-invasive inspection of avian eggs to make a quality finding and, more particularly, using ultrasound inspection of avian eggs to make a quality finding such as fertility or viability or of other indicia of relative usability, and in consequence of the finding sorting the eggs in at least two and preferably three or more categories.
A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of preferred embodiments and examples.
2. Prior Art
It is known to use nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of avian eggs to make a sex and possibly fertility determination. U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,080xe2x80x94Reynnells et al. However the process of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of avian eggs to make a non-invasive determination of any kind will be beset with problems.
The MRI equipment requires a very high capital investment and has unproven reliability. The economics of egg producing operations do not allow purchase of a back up system or expensive components in case of failures of the main system. The MRI equipment is stationed to catch eggs in transit during egg transfer operations. Egg transfer operations cannot be idled for even thirty (30) minutes or else thousands to tens of thousands of eggs will spoil.
The MRI image is in fact a virtually perfect slice of the egg through a given plane. However, the internal structures that allow a sex or fertility determination are hard to make out in such a perfect slice. Indeed U.S. patent of Reynnells et al. discloses quite distinctly how the egg must be oriented in a just so orientation, and then multiple images are taken on 0.5 mm spacings (ie., 50 slices per inch). After that, the best slice has to be determined because next, analysis requires finding a reference marker (eg., eyes or eye sockets) away from which origin a succeeding finding of the sex marker is paced.
Correspondingly, not only must an image from an optimum plane be obtained, the image must be analyzed for subtle features. Just as humans can be trained to develop the right xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d for vent sexing poults, humans might develop an xe2x80x9cinstinctxe2x80x9d for when all the right combination of factors in a given MRI image suggest a given determination. But human analysis is unfeasible for lack of speed. Computers, though inherently speedy, lack instinct. Computers are far less reliable than humans at making determinations based on subtle factors. Harvard professor Stephen Jay Gould has quipped that to date xe2x80x9cartificial intelligencexe2x80x9d has yet to obtain merely the level of a cockroach.
It is reported that the MRI process requires cooling the eggs temporarily until the images are obtained. Eg., U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,080xe2x80x94Reynnells et al. Seasoned egg production workers are skeptical of that. Long custom has been to keep eggs in a carefully regulated environment of controlled warmth and humidity. Also, the nuclear MRI radiation just might be worrisome as a death ray to the germ of fresh eggs from the brood farm.
If egg production operations would consider adopting MRI techniques, they""d next have to face paying MRI certified operators at pay scales really unfamiliar in the egg production world.
In sum, the MRI process appears to be an ivory tower solution to a down and dirty problem. State of the art brood farms are known to produce a million (1,000,000) eggs a day. Yet margins are razor thin. The requirement for reliability in the methods relied on is paramount.
The investment in an MRI inspection process costs top dollar. Yet if the MRI inspection equipment goes out then the whole efficiency of the operation is impeded. If an MRI apparatus including its coil went down, it would simply have been cost prohibitive to own a back up in case of failures. There would be no reserve equipment to switch to or change out to in case of failures.
Given the foregoing seasoned veterans are skeptical of the feasibility of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in poultry operations. The technology appears best left in hospitals where the throughput rate might be one to ten (1 to 10) patients an hour rather than millions of eggs a day.
Nevertheless, efficiency and optimization are paramount in poultry operations. Accordingly, poultry operations would benefit from any reasonably cost-justifiable method for culling poor unqualified eggs from the process stream at opportune times, such as during transfer from brood operations to hatchery operations.
What is needed is an improvement in culling unqualified eggs which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.
It is an object of the invention to oscillate the shell of avian eggs to make a finding of shell quality.
It is another object of the invention to correlate the finding of shell quality to egg quality in terms of fertility or hatching or hatchling viability, or else in terms of any other usability criterion.
It is an additional object of the invention to oscillate the shell of avian eggs by means of acoustic energy.
It is an alternate object of the invention to oscillate the shell of avian eggs by means of a source of ultrasound.
It is a further object of the invention to detect such shell oscillations by means of a detector of ultrasound.
These and other aspects and objects are provided according to the invention in a method and apparatus for determining whether avian eggs are qualified or unqualified for a premium quality based on shell characteristics. The preferred method in accordance with the invention comprises the steps of providing a plurality of the eggs, oscillating the shell of each egg by a source of ultrasonic waves to produce such a signal from the shell oscillation that is detectable by a detector, and then determining whether the egg is qualified or not from analysis of the signal.
Preferably the detected signal is manipulated into a profile comprising detected signal strength versus time. This profile comprises an information portion that is analyzed for a positive indication of premium grade that is preferably characterized by at least one sufficiently steady and strong peak. The analysis of the detected more preferentially comprises integrated response (IR) analysis of the detected signal""s strength versus time values.
Optionally, the profile""s information portion is analyzed for either or both a positive indication of premium grade, which as before is perhaps characterized by at least one sufficiently steady and strong peak, and/or a negative indication of premium grade that is characterized by relatively unsteady and weak signals across the width of the information portion.
In general, the positive indication of premium grade is correlatable to egg shell quality. In turn, egg shell quality is associated with a quality determination of the avian egg as a whole in terms of relating to fertility or hatching or hatchling viability as well as, in the alternative, being of sufficient quality for human consumption.
The foregoing is advantageous for poultry including turkey farms having hatchery operations because the eggs sorted into the premium grade are graduated to hatchery operations. The other eggs are removed and either discarded or perhaps sorted for alternative other use such as pet consumption.
A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of preferred embodiments and examples.